The FOI Foundation of Texas is making headlines. Check out our board members and executive director as they speak to media outlets across the state.

March 1, 2017
Executive Director Shannon Kelley recently did a call-in show on the Texas Public Radio show called “The Source.” The show explored whether the public has a fundamental right to information about who the government is making deals with and where money is being spent.

June 27, 2016
Board member Laura Prather testified before the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice of the House Judiciary Committee about the need for a federal anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) law.

June 6, 2016
Executive Director Kelley Shannon told Watchdog.org that an overseas trade mission made by members of the San Antonio City Council may have skirted Texas’ open-meeting law.

June 1, 2016
Board member Joe Larsen criticized Houston’s mayor in the Houston Chronicle for using a private search firm to keep police chief candidates from public view.

May 4, 2016
Kelley Shannon, executive director of the FOIFT, spoke to the Houston Chronicle about the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling that allows businesses to withhold information from the public that could give their competitors an advantage.

March 23, 2016
FOIFT attorneys Joe Larsen and Bill Aleshire spoke to Watchdog.org about the Texas Education Agency and attorney general blocking the website from obtaining an audio recording of a teleconference during which a school board member told the TEA commissioner to “burn in hell.”

March 6, 2016
Kelley Shannon, executive director of FOIFT, spoke to the El Paso Times about the city council’s discussion about limiting people convicted of felonies or misdemeanors from accessing open records.

March 4, 2016
FOIFT Executive Director Kelley Shannon and Austin attorney Bill Aleshire spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about Chesapeake Energy trying to keep their settlement with a Fort Worth school district a secret.

January 19, 2016
Houston lawyer and FOIFT board member Joe Larsen spoke to the San Antonio Express-News about the Bexar County sheriff refusing to release an offense report regarding a sex assault case.

January 7, 2016
Austin attorney and FOIFT board member Jim Hemphill spoke to the Austin American-Statesman about a judge that told two newspapers to preserve emails in a capital murder case. Hemphill said judges have to hold a hearing before they’re allowed to ask journalists to preserve relevant evidence in a case.

State Conference Sept. 14

Join us for our state conference “Transparency = Real News” on Thursday, Sept. 14, in Austin.

FOI Hotline

Our FOI Hotline (800) 580-6651 is available to anyone with a question concerning the Texas Public Information and Texas Open Meetings acts.

Watch Videos from Our Events

Future of the Texas Public Information Act panel discussion at the FOIFT Conference in 2016 on YouTube.
Lisa Falkenberg keynote speech at the FOIFT Conference in 2016 on YouTube.
Don Adams and Mark Updegrove at the FOIFT Conference in 2015 on YouTube.